Goat gingerbread

Goat or goat gingerbread are figurines made from a special gingerbread pastry that are decorated and then baked. It is noteworthy that the name of this confectionery does not come from the word goat, but from the verb goat (laugh, joke, do or say anything funny, funny). By the way, the goats also called a special type of bread in the form of a wreath, which was baked on Semik. For the holiday with these goats, people went to the forest to "curl birches" and make a wish.

Initially, goat gingerbread was the national sweet dish of the inhabitants of the Arkhangelsk province (the so-called Pomors), who prepared this bake exclusively for Christmas. Then Kozuli were made on the basis of rye dough. Ready-made figures of goats, cows and rams symbolized clouds - "heavenly herds. " In addition to being applied directly to food, these gingerbread products were used by children as toys.

At the moment, the production of gingerbread goats is famous for the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions. Here, they are still rightfully considered a symbol of Pomerania. Today they are traditionally baked for the New Year holidays - for Christmas and Kolyady. Goat gingerbread is also made for significant personal events - a wedding, housewarming and the birth of a child. It is believed that the goats in the house protect the inhabitants from evil spirits, so it is not customary to eat them immediately after baking, but to throw them away is simply unthinkable.

The tradition of cooking goat gingerbread from Pomors was also adopted by the inhabitants of the Urals - there they are also made with pleasure at Christmas. Goat gingerbread is especially popular among Urals in the form of reindeer, angels, a cat (a symbol of the house), houses and Christmas trees. Ready-made baked figures are usually decorated with a Christmas tree.

Meanwhile, goat gingerbread is made from specially prepared dough, which is very close to gingerbread in composition. Pieces of dough, which by tradition are given the shape of a variety of animals - goats and goats, cows and gobies, deer, lamb, as well as seals, cats and birds - are baked in an oven or oven on a sheet lubricated with oil. According to the method of manufacture, modern goats can be safely attributed to the cut-out types of gingerbread.

The recipes for making gingerbread dough are varied enough, with many families having their own that have not changed for decades. A special secret lies in the fact that a special component is added to the dough - "zhenka, " which is a sugar syrup boiled and caramelized to brown-amber color.

Goat gingerbread is usually colorfully decorated with glaze, which is made on the basis of whipped proteins with the addition of a variety of food dyes of natural origin. Mainly white, pink and blue colorants are used.